THE DIVERSE NEEDS OF CHILDREN IN MALAYSIA

Course outline

Who are they?

All children exhibit differences from one another in terms of their physical attributes (e.g., some are shorter, some are stronger) learning abilities (e.g., some learn quickly and are able to remember and use what they have learned in new situations; others need repeated practice and have difficulty maintaining and generalizing new knowledge and skills). The differences among most children are relatively small, enabling these children to benefit from the general education program. The physical attributes and/or learning abilities of some children differ from the norm (either below or above) to such an extent that they require an individualized program of special education and related services to fully benefit from education Diverse learners /exceptional children includes children who experience difficulties in learning as well as those whose performance is so superior that modifications in curriculum and instruction are necessary to help them fulfil their potential.

impairment, disability, handicap and at risk

Impairment refers to the loss or reduced function of a particular body part or organ (e.g., a missing limb). A disability exists when an impairment limits a persons ability to perform certain tasks (e.g., walk, see, add a row of numbers) in the same way that most persons do. A person with a disability is not handicapped, however, unless the disability leads to educational, personal, social, vocational, or other problems Handicap refers to a problem or a disadvantage that a person with a disability or an impairment encounters when interacting with the environment At risk refers to children who, although not currently identified as having a disability, are considered to have a greater-than-usual chance of developing one. - often applied to infants and pre-schoolers who, because of conditions surrounding their births or home environments, may be expected to experience developmental problems at a later time. -also refer to students who are experiencing learning problems in the regular classroom and are therefore at risk of school failure or of being identified for special education services.

Diversity is an apart of the nature of the human species, and students are and always have been different from one another in a variety of ways (Banks et al., 2005)

Why diverse?
Gender Religion Disability Family back ground Citizenship
Low self esteem Introvert Unsocialise Lack of confidence

DIVERSITY IN MALAYSIA SCHOOLS: Uniformity continues to dominate our school practices. Most schools still function as if all students were the same:
use the same textbooks and the same materials for learning. work at the same pace on the same quantity of learning material study the same content and work through the same curriculum on the same schedule Teachers talk with whole groups of students, delivering the same information at the same time to everyone schools conduct the same examinations for all to measure the
success of the learning.

Malaysia: Policies Every student benefits from an outstanding teacher and an engaging learning experience. Every student and teacher deserves to be treated with respect. Every student should have an opportunity to reach his or her individual optimum potential. Every student should master specific basic knowledge skills.

Why is knowledge to deal with diverse groups of students such an important element in teaching?

Teachers have always needed to address the diverse learning needs of their students

Education for diverse learners in Malaysia is also developed actively with various programmes to strengthen national integration To attract more students from all ethnic background to enrol in National Schools, several initiatives have been taken towards achieving the concept of Unity in Diversity. These include: i. opportunity to learn other languages for communication such as Arabic, Chinese and Tamil. ii. The expansion of the pre-school programme by increasing the number of pre-school classes in all National Schools especially in the interior and remote areas, applying the National Pre-school Curriculum, including ensuring that children with special needs receive pre-school education. iii. LINUS were introduced in 2011 to ensure that after 3 years in scholl, students can read and write Pupils with learning disabilities will attend remedial classes iv. sufficient number of remedial teachers provided to all primary schools

v. Cluster Schools refers to the selected schools which have the potential to be excellent in their respective clusters and to fulfill the prerequisites set by the Ministry of Education (MoE) Malaysia. Presently there are 120 schools from 9,943 schools in Malaysia In the selection process, the cluster schools are assessed and evaluated based on their excellence in respective clusters as follows: Primary Schools Secondary Schools Special Education Primary and Secondary Schools International Schools and Private Schools. Matriculation Colleges and Institutes for Teachers Education

Cluster Schools The establishment of CSEs in Malaysia was aimed to cater to the diverse needs of students, particularly their abilities and talents, in order to provide the best teaching and learning process

INCLUSION CLASSROOMS
- placement of many students with disabilities in regular education classrooms
What do inclusion classrooms look like? All students learn different things in different ways at different rates. Following are classroom strategies based on the theory of differentiated instruction. Use small-group discussion, cooperative learning groups and learning teams.

Involve students in decisions about their learning.

Match skill mastery with each students goals and needs. Change instructional groups and methods frequently.

Evaluate progress while involving students and provide intrinsic rewards.

Arrange the classroom to facilitate student exploration and self-direction. Use activities such as role-playing, drawing, learning centres, computerized instruction, problem-solving, story-writing, building models and peer learning

Students cultural and family background and socioeconomic level affect his or her learning.

The context in which he or she grows and develops has an important impact on learning. Learners bring their own individual approach or styles, talents and interests to the learning situation.

Disability
One of the main groups under diverse learner is children with special needs. i. hearing impairments ii. visual impairments iii. learning disabilities

Categories of students with learning disabilities

i. Downs Syndrome ii. Mild Autistic Tendency (Autism) iii. Dyslecsia iv. Epylepsy v. Attention Deficit and Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) vi. Minimal Mental Retardation vii. Specific Learning Difficulties

MASLOW HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

SELF ACTUALIZATION

Achieving ones full potential - Creative - self fulfilment needs

ESTEEM NEEDS BELONGINGNESS AND LOVE NEEDS BASIC NEEDS

Prestige & feeling of accomplishment

Intimate relationship & friends

Food, water, warmth, rest

Responding to pupils diverse learning needs When planning, teachers should set high expectations and provide opportunities for all pupils to achieve, including: boys and girls pupils with special educational needs pupils from all social and cultural backgrounds pupils from different ethnic groups Travellers Refugees asylum seekers those from diverse linguistic backgrounds

 Teachers need to be aware that pupils bring to school different experiences, interests and strengths which will influence the way in which they learn. Teachers should plan their approaches to teaching and learning so that pupils can take part in lessons fully and effectively.

Teachers should take specific action to respond to pupils diverse needs by: creating effective learning environments securing their motivation and concentration

providing equality of opportunity through teaching approaches

using appropriate assessment approaches setting targets for learning

Teachers need to ensure that all students are appropriately engaged, challenged and extended by designing classroom activities that meet the diverse learning needs of their students. Students with diverse learning needs are those who: require support with learning due to disability require learning support - gifted are learning English as an additional language or dialect- refugees / citizenship

Issue:
Meeting the Diverse Needs of Young Children
receiving increased numbers of children with disabilities or developmental delays increase in racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity

teachers SHOULD create classrooms that are responsive to the diverse needs of all children.

RESPONDING TO STUDENT DIVERSITY

General Principles Treat students as individuals whose identities are complex and unique. For example, use open-ended questions - of their experiences or observations without calling on a student to speak for his or her race/gender/culture. Also, learning to pronounce all of the names correctly shows respect for varied backgrounds. Encourage full participation while being aware of differences which may influence students' responses. For example, make eye contact with everyone, increase wait time to include less assertive and/or more reflective students, ask questions that draw out quieter participants or challenge dominant students in small groups, or talk with students outside of class to provide encouragement.

RESPONDING TO STUDENT DIVERSITY Vary teaching methods to take advantage of different learning styles and to expand the repertoire of strategies tried by each student. For example, foster peer relationships with in-class collaboration, include concrete examples whenever possible, use visual or dramatic presentations, or value personal knowledge and experience when students share it. Promote a respectful classroom climate with egalitarian norms and acceptance of differences. For example, encourage student projects involving diverse perspectives, discuss guidelines or "ground rules" for good participation, and monitor language use for implicit assumptions, exclusions, or overgeneralizations. Beware of possible student anxiety about their performance in a competitive environment but try not to "overprotect." All students - including those whose personal or cultural histories may include being a target of stereotypes and discrimination - need straightforward comments on their work delivered with tact and empathy, and early feedback so that they can change their learning strategies or get help if needed.

Avoiding Common Problems

Avoid highly idiomatic English. Idioms are especially confusing for non-native speakers or any student who may have been raised in another country or another region of the Malaysia. Provide some linguistic redundancy. Particularly non-native speakers, benefit from both seeing and hearing language Use diverse examples rather than ones which assume a particular background or experience. Make sure you aren't consistently assuming all your students share that experience. For example, notice when many of your examples are based on cultural or regional knowledge, hobbies favored predominantly by one gender, or political or historical knowledge unfamiliar to those from other countries

Avoiding Common Problems

Don't assume that students who don't talk don't know the material. Being quiet in the classroom and not "showing off" are considered respectful in many Asian cultures.
Watch the type of humor that occurs in your classes to be sure it denigrates no one. A large number of jokes involve putting down people who are different in some way and who may already feel marginal because of those differences.